WASHINGTON, DC, October 2, 2007 (ENS) - Partially constructed solar homes designed and built by teams from 20 universities from across the United States and around the world have arrived on the National Mall in Washington, where the U.S. Energy Department's third Solar Decathlon opens October 12.

The homes have been in development for the past two years, but now the teams are rushing to reconstruct them on the Mall and to hook up their electrical, plumbing, hot water, and heating and cooling systems.

The homes, which are powered and heated only with solar energy, will be judged in 10 contests - architecture, engineering, livability, lighting, cooking, comfort, water heating, appliances, and power generation for space heating and cooling.

Massachusetts Institute of Technology's entry in the 2007 Solar Decathlon (Photo courtesy MIT)

This year's competition features a new contest called market viability, which will evaluate each home's market appeal, its ability to meet expectations of potential homeowners, and the cost effectiveness of its construction.

The U.S. teams hail from 13 states - California, Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas as well as Puerto Rico.

They will compete against one another and against teams from Canada, Spain, and Germany.

The Solar Decathlon project is expected to result in the development and demonstration of solar-powered homes in which, by the year 2015, the whole-house, levelized energy cost has been reduced to 10 cents per kilowatt hour.

The homes will be open for tours weekdays from 11 am to 3 pm and on weekends from 10 am to 5 pm, except on October 17, when the village is closed for competition purposes.

Members of the press and the public are encouraged to participate in energy-efficient workshops, tour the houses, and explore educational exhibits. The winners of the individual contests are named through the event, culminating in the final awards ceremony on October 19. The solar event ends the following day.

The Department of Energy, DOE, is the primary sponsor of the event, which is also sponsored and managed by DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory. Other sponsors include the American Institute of Architects; the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air Conditioning Engineers; the National Association of Home Builders; the U.S. Green Building Council; BP; and Sprint.

Copyright Environment News Service (ENS) 2007. All rights reserved.